


Stirb Nicht Vor Mir

by wantonwasting



Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-19
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-13 20:25:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2164050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wantonwasting/pseuds/wantonwasting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Koujaku insists on taking Noiz out for a proper date but things don't go at all to plan. When Koujaku ends up in hospital, Noiz not only has to find a way to deal with people who put him there, but also his own feelings regarding the Ribster & his place in his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this [fantastic art](http://geibaar.tumblr.com/post/87187688558/hospitalized-jaku-cuz-im-too-lazy-to-do-his-tats) by [geibaar](http://geibaar.tumblr.com/). As soon as I saw it, I just had to write something for it~!

It was a crisp, late autumn evening. Koujaku and Noiz both sat on the couch, the remains of their dinner spread out before them in a pile of boxes and paper wrapping. It had been takeout again; Koujaku had not felt up to the somewhat laborious task of cooking after work, and Noiz had been quick to order something from his Coil to fill his growling stomach. Now satiated, Koujaku was drinking his tea as he read while Noiz curled up on the other end of the couch, watching an old movie on the large television. The colder nights had brought a winter-induced lethargy; where they had spent the evenings of the summer months bickering, now they both lapsed into an easy tranquillity accompanied by the low _whoosh_ of the ducted heaters and the soft steam rising from mugs clutched in chilled fingers.

    "You'd look good like that." Noiz said.

 Brought out of his page-induced reverie, Koujaku glanced up at the television. Onscreen, two men were talking, standing at some kind of gambling table. Both of the men in question were wearing elegant, expensive-looking suits. They were no doubt in a swanky casino, judging not only by the attire of the men in question but also of those seen in the background.

    "Like that?" Koujaku asked. "In a suit, you mean?"

    "Yeah." Noiz said. He glanced over at Koujaku, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I'd like to see it sometime."

 Onscreen, one of the men adjusted his cuff, giving the camera a close up of his cufflinks and the expensive watch beneath his sleeve. The camera panned up again. Perfectly tailored to show off their broad shoulders and narrow waists, there was a sensual masculinity in the attire that Koujaku had never before noticed.

    "Well, I don't see a reason why not." Koujaku said thoughtfully. Imagining Noiz dressed like that, without his ridiculous hat and accessories was amusing enough to warrant giving it a shot. "Did you want to go to a casino like that too?"

    "Huh? Like what, on a date?" Noiz asked, his tone teasing as he returned his attention to the television.

    "Yes." Koujaku replied immediately. If he was at all hesitant about the idea, especially since it would be their first official date, not a trace of uncertainty showed.

 Noiz slowly turned back to face him. "Seriously?"

    "Yeah, I'm sure there would be something like that in Platinum Jail, so we could go and have a nice dinner and then go to the casino." The more he thought about it, the more convinced Koujaku became that it could actually be very enjoyable. "Do you want to?"

    "…Sure. Okay." Noiz said, colour faintly rising in his cheeks.

   Koujaku grinned. "Alright then. It's a date." He said. "I'll let you know when, but get a suit. Let's do it properly, too, since it will be our first real date anyway."

    "What  about you?" Noiz asked. "Are you hiding a proper suit in here somewhere with your old-timer shit?"

    "Don't be a little shit." Koujaku said, smacking Noiz with his book. "But I'll get one, so look forward to it."

    "Oh, I will." Noiz said, smirking again.

    "Oi, brat, I don't want to know what you are thinking about, do I?"

    "Well, you'll find out sooner or later." Noiz said, eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief as he turned his attention back to the television.

  Koujaku shook his head and drained his tea. He tried to return to his reading, but somehow could not help sneaking glances up at the casino scenes in the movie, mind already beginning to formulate the best possible way to go about organising their date.

# ***

 

 A few weeks had passed since that discussion. Koujaku stood in front of his mirror. He dragged his gaze critically over his appearance, one hand unconsciously smoothing his tie. It was different, wearing a Western-style suit; it was tighter over the shoulders and chest than he was used to. Despite the reassurance of the ladies at the store that black was not too sombre a colour – and, in fact, was the evening standard – he had ended up going with a dark ultramarine-blue suit. The white shirt he had matched with it served to brighten the outfit further.

 The tie had been a growing source of frustration until Beni had thoughtfully popped up with a guide he had found online on how to tie the knot properly. He hoped it was the right kind of knot. Much like obi, there were quite a few types of knots, each with different meanings and appropriateness. Koujaku just knew that Noiz would know all about that kind of thing; he had proven time and again to be knowledgeable about the oddest things, though how he remembered all of it was anyone's guess. Koujaku could not remember when he had found out – much to his surprise, given how he dressed – that Noiz was actually well-versed in western fashion. That, combined with the fact that he seemed to have opinions on everything from whether pocket squares could still be considered classy to whether a tie should ever be worn with jeans, made Koujaku feel a little self-conscious about the whole thing.

 But that hardly mattered. He had bought the suit last week, having worked extra days to afford something especially nice. The days after that he had spent researching the best restaurants and casinos in Platinum Jail. Since he also regularly got new clients from Platinum Jail now, he had availed himself of their advice on his shortlist of places, and one satisfied, had made the reservations.

 Koujaku fiddled with his hair. He had foregone many of his usual accessories – his tekkou, neck cover, as well as his sarashi - but debated whether or not he should do something different with his hair. After brushing through it again, he decided to just wear it as usual. At least that way he still recognised himself in the mirror. He tied his hair up neatly, and felt a little better as he threaded his kanzashi into its usual place. He smoothed his shirt again as he looked at his reflection.

    "Looking good, boss." Beni said, flapping over to his shoulder from where he had been perched atop the mirror. "Pity you are going out with that Rhyme-bastard instead of a pretty lady, huh?"

     "Beni." Koujaku chided. "I've told you before, haven't I? To stop calling him that."

    "Why should I?" Beni asked. "He it! And, when you aren't around, he goes through my data and protocols!"

    "Does he?" Koujaku asked, frowning. "I'll tell him not to do that, then."

    "I don't think he'd listen." Beni said dismissively. "But anyway, don't you think you should leave soon? You don't want to be late, right?"

    "Yeah, yeah, I'm going now." Koujaku said, squaring his shoulders. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, but even so, he could not help but smile. With Beni on his shoulder, he tugged his sleeves down over his Coil and took his jacket from where he had thrown it on the bed. As he shrugged into it, his eyes fell on his sword, leaning against the wall where he had put it when he had gotten home. He would not need it, of course; security was still pretty tight in Platinum Jail – or at the very least, the police there seemed to have a slightly better work ethic than the ones in the Old Resident District.

 Koujaku left his apartment, the door clicking shut behind him. Within minutes he was on Aoyagi Street. Bright and crowded despite the hour, Koujaku waved to those who called out to him, but did not stop. All he could think of was getting to the restaurant. Even just the idea of stopping for some banal conversation was frustrating. He searched his memories for anything that compared to the level of excitement he was feeling now, but nothing came immediately to mind. He checked his Coil and realised that he would probably arrive early, but he still could not slow his pace.

 Well, it hardly mattered. Noiz would no doubt tease him if he knew, but being early was just good date etiquette anyway. As he considered good date etiquette, Koujaku wondered if he should have brought flowers.

 Koujaku shook his head to himself. While he was a little surprised at the realisation that he was not averse to the idea of giving Noiz flowers, he doubted they would be very convenient to carry around. And it was probably better to keep things simple. And maybe Noiz was not the type to particularly enjoy flowers. Tugging at the knot of his tie, Koujaku pushed the debate out his mind and continued on his way.

 As he predicted, he arrived at the restaurant early, recognising the imposing, columned front of the building from his research. The smooth and neat streets of Platinum Jail were well lit, and there was quite a number of people wandering around, although the crowd did not compare to the bustle and life of Aoyagi Street. It seemed as though the peacefulness of the Old Resident District had finally suffused Platinum Jail after the tension that had been caused by Oval Tower's collapse.  Koujaku wondered how the residents felt about the natural light now instead of the artificial night that had been constant before. Of more pressing concern to him, however, were the large 'No Smoking' signs that appeared every so often. Alone and without something to do, he had been planning on having a cigarette.

 Koujaku glanced around. If he could not smoke out the front of the restaurant, there had to be somewhere he _could_ smoke. It was ridiculous to assume that no one in Platinum Jail smoked, or that the ban on smoking extended to the entire facility. His gaze roved over the street. Aside from the large boulevard that took up the majority of his surroundings, there were some smaller side streets. Koujaku walked around the area, and finally found a small, empty street. There was a dimly lit alleyway nearby, but he did not think he needed to go that far.

 Leaning against a wall some distance from the alley, Koujaku pulled his cigarettes out from his breast pocket – _handy, that_. A second later and one of the black-papered sticks was alight between his lips. He inhaled deeply as he took in his surroundings.  The bright and evenly spaced streetlights conveyed a clean, sophisticated attitude compared to the mess of neon signs and wide shop fronts that made up Aoyagi Street. The soft white smoke of his cigarette as he exhaled momentarily blurred the lights overhead, before it was dissipated by the cool night breeze.

 Koujaku brought up his Coil, and sent Noiz a message.

     [(7:28:37 PM) Looking forward to seeing you tonight.]

 The reply came almost instantly.

    [(7:28:51 PM) Don't get too excited, old man. You'll wear yourself out before we get to the good parts.]

 Koujaku chuckled to himself, and took another drag from his cigarette. While Noiz had certainly warmed to him more than he would have thought possible when they first met, his brattish attitude had not changed. But that was fine – better than fine, really. In privacy and solitude, it was something Koujaku could admit he liked about Noiz.

    [(7:30:42 PM) That'll never happen. Why don't you see if you can keep up?]

 Koujaku tilted his head back again. The stars that had once glimmered bright above Platinum Jail were gone now, obscured by the brightness of the city lights. But it was still beautiful, that emptiness, much more so than the fake stars that had once twinkled down on the resort-city. Of course, he was starting to feel hungry now, but since it was not unbearable and since their reservation was at eight, the sensation was somehow more exciting than unbearable. What had gotten into him? He had never loved the colder seasons, but tonight even the chill breeze felt pleasant.

    "Hey, mister, you got a light?"

 Koujaku shifted and glanced down. A burly, scruffy-looking man squinted at him, his flashy suit looking somehow ill-fitting. Though it was hardly late, the man reeked of alcohol.

   "Here." Koujaku said, straightened from where he had been leaning against the wall. He passed his lighter to the man and waited.

    "The man lit his cigarette and took a few puffs. He held out the lighter, let out a belch and swayed unsteadily on his feet. Koujaku took his lighter, careful to keep the disdain he felt from showing on his face.

    "Thanks, man." The man said, and staggered off. Koujaku watched him leave, sipping his lighter back into his pocket . It was still too early to head back to the restaurant, so he leant back into his position against the wall. After dinner, they would head to one of the grand casinos of Platinum Jail. From what he had gathered, all of the large casinos were European styled ones, so Koujaku could only hope that Noiz had some idea of how to play the games, since he himself was inexperienced.

 The sound of raised voices cut into his reverie. Turning to where the sound had come from, Koujaku instantly saw the cause of the commotion; the man he had just lent his lighter to was harassing a pair of young women further down the street.

 Never one to ignore ladies in trouble, Koujaku was striding to them before he had consciously decided to step in. As he approached, he could see that the man was holding one of the women by the arm.

    "We've already said no!" One of the women was saying. Her blonde hair swayed as she pulled back roughly. "Let go of me!"

    "Come on, just one drink."

    "Now, now, there's no need for such a racket." Koujaku said, roughly pulling the man's arm free from his hold. He turned to the women, best smile already on his face. "Sorry about that. Are you two alright?"

    "Ah, thank you!" The blonde woman said, rubbing her arm.

    "Yeah, but this asshole is a total creep." The second woman, a redhead, answered, pulling her girlfriend closer to her.

     "It's fine now." Koujaku said. "He won't bother you anymore. You both look lovely, so please don't let this ruin your night out."

     "Thanks." The redhead said.

    "Have a good night!" The blonde said, waving.

 The two hurried off down the street. The breeze was picking up now, sending cold tendrils down Koujaku's collar, more noticeable without his usual neck cover. Suppressing a shiver, Koujaku watched the two women as they disappeared down a different street. He turned to the drunken man.

    "I think it's time you went home." Koujaku said, looking down on the man. He did not hide his contempt this time, his crimson eyes alight with irritation. But he was also aware that it was getting closer to the time of his reservation, and was loath to start something with this drunkard now if it would interfere with his date.

     "Why'd you get involved?" The man said, grabbing hold of Koujaku's arm now.

     "Those ladies made it quite clear that they did not want your attention." Koujaku replied. "If you are drunk enough that you couldn't tell, you should definitely go home."

    "Hey, you aren't one of those scummy prinks from the Old Resident District, are ya?" The asked, grip tightening. "It's just that I ain't see you around here before."

    "Does it matter?" Koujaku asked. Praying his suit would not rip, he wrenched his arm backwards but the man stubbornly held on.

    "I'm just sick of that riffraff comin' in here and taking what ain't theirs." The man continued.

    "Let go of me." Koujaku said. He kept his voice low and firm; any other time, he would have punched this guy's lights out without a second thought, but here and now, he knew he could not. Fights were taking much more seriously by the police here than in the Old Resident District. It would surely be eight o'clock soon, and he did not want to ruin the evening by getting arrested.

   "It was better before. Toue knew how it should be. Platinum Jail used to be a world class entertainment complex, where all the staff were good looking and accommodating." The man muttered, before viciously adding, "Unlike those bitches there."

    "Let go of my arm!" Koujaku said through gritted teeth, wrenching his arm backwards. It did nothing to dislodge the man, who only gripped tighter. _Did he have some kind of iron hand or something?_

    "I didn't say I was done yet, did I?" The drunk said, quickly resuming his rant. "But that’s the problem with you Old Resident District folks, isn't it? Got no damned respect for your betters. You see it all the time these days – even the waitresses now are from the Old Resident District, and they don't take nicely to requests for _extra service_ , if you know what I mean. Fucking bitches, all of them."

    "I'd say that any lady would be completely justified in turning you down." Koujaku snapped, self-control evaporating.

    "What did you say?" The man asked, dragging Koujaku forward.

    "Let go of my damned arm." Koujaku said, pulling backwards. His blood was boiling now. He slammed his free hand square into the man's stomach. The man grunted loudly, dropping to one knee. Finally free, Koujaku stepped back out of the man's reach. Satisfied by the drunk's wheezing breaths that he would not try anything else, Koujaku turned around back that way he had come. HE brought up his Coil to call Noiz; hopefully the brat was on his way by now.

 Pain shot through his head as his hair was yanked backwards. Choking back curses, Koujaku turned around.

    "What, just because you're a handsome guy, you're looking down on me?" The man asked.

    "A drunk who can't respect a woman's boundaries doesn't deserve respect!" Koujaku said.

 The man snapped. Roaring, he aimed a punch at Koujaku's face, but the Rib leader avoided it easily. He swung back, scarred knuckles crunching into the other man's nose. The man howled and pressed his hands to his face as blood began to gush from his nostrils.

    "What's going on here?" A voice said, and another man emerged from the alley. He took one look at the situation and dove at Koujaku. Sidestepping, Koujaku felt his stomach fill with lead as more and more of men came pouring out of the alley.

    "What's going on?"

    "Oi, Jake, what happened to your face?"

    "Who the fuck is this guy?"

    "Th-that man broke my nose!"

    "Get him!"

 Koujaku's first thought had been that they were police, but he quickly saw his error. These men were not simply drunken louts, either - they were yakuza. From the way they parted their hair to the style of their suits, it all rang with a sickening familiarity. The last of his restraint dissolved at the realisation. Koujaku retaliated against every attack that came his way with unsuppressed fury. The tattoos on his back began to tingle, but he had no time to pay an attention to it. His experience with Rib allowed him to avoid fists, elbows and knees as he ducked and weaved through the mass. But the suit jacket was tighter than he was used to, restricting his movements. Unarmed without his sword and severely outnumbered without his team, he knew it would only be a matter of time before he was overwhelmed completely. He swung at the guy on his left, satisfied as he felt his knuckles collide with a bony jaw. The man reeled back, swearing loudly. Koujaku spun back to avoid another attack, but in doing so, slammed into another of the assailants. Seizing the opportunity, the man grabbed hold of him under the arm, another quickly copying on the other side. Cursing, Koujaku struggled to get his arm out of their hold. But before he could pull free completely, a heavy fist slammed into his stomach. Coughing as the air rushed from his lungs, he could do nothing to avoid the next fist aimed at his face.

 Another unavoidable punch, this one again to the stomach, served to cement Koujaku's mounting agitation. He spat the blood from his mouth. There was nowhere to run to, if he'd been inclined or able to do so; the entrance to the alleyway was blocked by more yakuza, including one wielding a wicked-looking pipe. The tattoo on his back burned. He growled and strained against the men holding him.

    "Let go of me, yakuza trash." Koujaku spat.

    "Not now, pretty boy." One of them said, wrenching his head back with a fistful of his hair. He leered down, bringing his fist high over his head. "You're going to be a nice example for the res t of the upstarts in the Old Resident District."

# ***

 

 Noiz waited outside the restaurant. While he was fairly punctual – a habit from his upbringing that had only been enhanced by the spurious nature of Rhyme battles – he knew that Koujaku sometimes got caught up in talking to his many acquaintances around Aoyagi Street. It would not be unusual for him to be late. Noiz had checked inside the restaurant, just in case, but he was not there.

 It was already twenty past eight. Surely no acquaintance would keep Koujaku so long. Noiz brought up his Coil, and saw that Koujaku had tried to call him some thirty minutes ago. With his alerts turned off so that Rhyme would not interfere with his date tonight, he must have missed it. He hit the redial button and waited.

    "This service is temporarily unavailable." A pleasant but mechanical female voice informed him. "Please check the contact information and try again."

 Noiz disconnected the call. That was… odd. He could not remember the last time he had heard that message in Midorijima. The small island had to be the best connected place in the world to enable AllMates and Rhyme to function as they did. He also knew that Koujaku was not the type to let his Coil run out of charge, and he had definitely had it on him earlier.

 Noiz tried again, but the same message occurred. He pulled his cube out of his pocket, one of only three he could fit in his suit, and it lit up in his hand.

    "Run a search for AllMate Beni." Noiz said. "His data chip number is stored in Contacts."

    "P!" The cube replied, and a small screen materialised over its head. It loaded a map, quickly pinpointing Noiz's current location before expanding outwards. After a moment a box flashed up with "NOT FOUND" written in big letters

    "Check the Old Resident District."

 The map changed, but after a moment the same box flashed up: NOT FOUND.

 It was impossible. Koujaku did not know enough about AllMates to disable Beni's tracking data himself, and he certainly had not asked Noiz about it. He likely did not even known where to find those settings, if the thought to disable them had ever occurred at all.

    "Bring up the Ruff Rabbit server." Noiz said.

 With a "P!" the screen changed to a familiar board. Keyboard appearing at his fingertips, Noiz opened a new thread within his ongoing team chat.

     [I need the location of Beni-Shigure's head, Koujaku.]

    [>I think I saw him in Platinum Jail a while ago.]

    [>I saw him earlier in Aoyagi Street, but it was around lunch time. Don't know if that helps.]

    [No, I need more recently than that. Anyone know his current whereabouts?]

    [>I heard he was in Platinum Jail too, but I don't know where exactly.]

    [>>Restaurant area in the main centre, just near the edge of Midnight Blue Coast. That was almost an hour ago now, though.]

  _An hour?_ Noiz frowned, tugging at his lip piercing with his teeth. That seemed odd.

    [>Wait, my girlfriend just messaged me. Yeah, apparently he's in hospital. Some kind of fight, people are saying.]

    [>>I guess that's what happens when you're into Ribstiez, huh?]

    [Which hospital?]

    [>The one in the Old Resident District.]

Noiz turned the cube off and returned it to his pocket. That could not be right… could it? But his  team was never wrong when it came to information, and Koujaku was not answering his Coil.

 Noiz was not sure at which point he had begun to run, but by the time he reached the hospital he was well out of breath. Doubled over panting, he waited the barest few minutes to regain control of himself before he headed inside.

 He was directed straight to the Emergency Ward. He scanned the waiting room, and caught sight of a familiar blue head – Aoba, with Ren sitting at his side. He felt his stomach drop. _Of course_.

 Noiz walked up to them, dress shoes squeaking on the floor.

    "Oh my god, Noiz." Aoba said, rising as he noticed him. "Thank god you're okay. I was so worried when I heard –"

    "Where is he?" Noiz interrupted.

    "Koujaku has been taken to surgery." Ren said, his deep voice calm in contrast to Aoba's. "We don't know anything else at this stage."

   "How could this happen?" Aoba groaned, returning to his seat. He pressed a hand to his face, rubbing at his eyes. Ren took hold of his other hand, rubbing his thumb over Aoba's pale knuckles. Noiz clenched his fists and turned his attention away to the large white doors.

 Time wore interminably on, and they still heard no word. Ren got to his feet and stretched, before turning exhausted golden eyes on Noiz.

    "Noiz, you should sit." He said. "I'll go and get us some drinks."

 Noiz dropped into the chair beside the one Ren had vacated. He was not in the least thirsty, but if it meant one less pair of worried eyes fixed on his face when they thought he was not looking, he would not complain.

    "It'll be okay." Aoba said, forcing a smile. "Koujaku's the strongest guy I know. No matter what, he'll pull through just fine."

  _Then why do you sound like you're about to cry?_ But he did not say that. Instead, he just shifted his gaze and said, "I know."

    "W-well, you look nice tonight." Aoba said. "I never thought I'd see you like that."

    "Wasn't my idea." Noiz said.

    "Ah, that's right, Koujaku was dressed up too." Aoba said. "Were you guys going to an event or something?"

    "On a date." Noiz said.

 Aoba's face tightened. "Shit, Noiz, I'm sorry. I bet you were worried when he didn't show up, huh?"

    "I just thought he was running late." Noiz said. He had not thought to worry; Koujaku was not the type to inspire that kind of feeling. He was somehow larger than life, almost invincible. Noiz had counted the scars that covered his body. He had seen him stitch up new wounds that would surely add to that count with only hard liquor and a sewing needle. He had laughed off broken fingers and bruises that would span his entire back. Worry was the last thing Noiz had felt for Koujaku.

    "It must have been a shock when you heard." Aoba said, and then a look of guilt crossed his face. "…Actually, how did you hear?"

    "My team told me."

    "I'm so sorry. I should have called you first but I didn't think…" Aoba said, voice trailing off.

 Noiz said nothing.

 Ren came back at that point, his shoes squeaking on the linoleum the only sound in the corridor. He passed them each a coffee in those cheap paper cups.  Noiz took it wordlessly, and brought it to his lips without thought. The scalding liquid poured over his tongue. Coughing, he managed to swallow it. It had been a while since he had done something like that. Had he become too accustomed to the gentle "be careful, it's hot" he usually heard?

 Noticing both Ren and Aoba looking at him, Noiz shifted. "It's hot." He said.

    "Sorry, I should have warned you." Ren said, and the look of concern on his face made Noiz want to punch him, made him want to smack that look of pity right off his face. Noiz did not want pity. He did not need pity. What he needed was for Koujaku to come through those doors with that stupid smile, rubbing his neck like he always did when he was embarrassed, and apologising for causing a fuss.

 The doors swung open. For a split second, Noiz thought his reckless hope had been answered. But the sight of a white coat and a stethoscope brought him sharply back to reality.

 Noiz was on his feet first, Aoba and Ren following suit as the doctor approached.

    "He made it through the surgery just fine." The doctor said, his tired eyes fixing on each of their faces in turn. "But due to the severity of his head and neck injuries, we've had to induce a coma to give his brain a chance to recover from the swelling."

    "Oh my god!" Aoba cried, pressing his hands to his mouth.

 Ren grimaced,  his hand gently brushing Aoba's back.

    "Can I see him?" Noiz asked.

 The doctor looked at him for a moment, and the nodded. "Since his records indicate no next of kin, I'll allow it. But only for a few minutes. You can come back tomorrow when visiting hours start if you want to stay longer."

 Noiz followed the doctor through the bright hallways. He did not think, and barely noticed Aoba and Ren following on his heels. When they reached the room, the doctor slid open the doors and Noiz walked in ahead of him.

 The first thing he noticed was the assortment of monitors, their soft bleeping bleeding into his eyes as he stood rooted to the spot. As he looked beyond them to where Koujaku lay, he felt as though the ground had dropped out from under him. Tubes and wires aside, he had expected Koujaku to look just like he was sleeping. That was the way it always was in movies, right? But here and now, Koujaku's face was swollen, almost beyond recognition. Dark bruises circled his eyes. Grazes on his face and hands were neatly taped and covered in gauze; but Noiz had seen worse, on both of them. Koujaku's hair was pushed back from his face, the lines of the tattoo on his cheek blurred by bruises and cuts. Noiz felt his chest clench, enough to spur him to motion. He stepped forward and brushed his hair back down as it usually was. Aoba and Ren came up behind him, and he was certain that neither of them had noticed. Koujaku would be glad.

    "Koujaku…" Aoba whispered, tears welling in his eyes.

 Ren pulled him into an embrace, looking away from Koujaku's face. "It's okay, Aoba."

 Noiz watched Koujaku's chest rise and fall rhythmically. He wanted to reach out and touch his hand, but he could not bring himself to move again. His mind felt as numb as his body.

    "As you can see, his condition is very serious." The doctor said, standing respectfully at the end of the bed. "We will, of course, do everything we can for him, and at this stage, we expect that he'll make a full recovery."

    "Thank you." Aoba said, pulling away from Ren. He reached out and took Koujaku's hand in a wordless grip.

 The jealousy Noiz felt at the simple ease of that gesture burned more than the coffee had earlier.

    "Unfortunately, I must ask you to leave now." The doctor said. "Please feel free to come back during visiting hours."

    "Come on, Noiz." Aoba said, pulling back. He wiped his eyes and lifted his head determinedly. "We'll be back tomorrow."

 When Noiz did not reply, Aoba grabbed his arm and nudged him gently towards the door. Shaking off his stupor, Noiz pulled away.

    "I'll come back tomorrow." Noiz said. He was not sure if he addressed Koujaku or the doctor, but the doctor nodded anyway.

    "The nurses will be happy to assist you with anything else you need." The doctor said. He then bid all three of them goodnight, ushering them from the room.

 Now in the hallway once more, all Noiz could think of was getting out. He had never liked hospitals – had never had a good experience in one – and now more than ever he just wanted to go home.

 He started off down the hallway.

    "Noiz. Noiz!" Aoba called, jogging to catch up with him. "Are you okay? If you want, you can stay at my place – we have a spare futon."

    "I'll be fine." Noiz said.

    "Are you sure?" Aoba asked, and there it was again, that same look of concern and pity that made his hands itch.

    "Yes." Noiz said. "I'll see tomorrow."

 With that, he continued walking. He could hear Ren behind him, telling Aoba not to worry. It took all of his strength not to run down the corridors.

 When he finally reached outside, he did not stop. He tugged his tie loose and quickened his pace. He ended up at the door to Koujaku's apartment before he realised. He had intended to go to his own – he kept it though he rarely slept there these days – but rather than leaving, he simply opened the door and walked inside.

 It was cold, but a light left on in the kitchen gave enough brightness to see by. Noiz kicked his shoes off and headed straight to the bedroom. He stripped off his suit and the cute lingerie he had been wearing underneath as a surprise, leaving it all on the floor. He pulled on one of Koujaku's shirts before collapsing into bed. He definitely did not think of how the first time he had stolen one of Koujaku's shirts, the hairdresser had jabbed him in the ribs and told him that he was too scrawny and that he needed to bulk up a little. He rolled himself up in the blankets, smothering himself in the familiar smell and closed his eyes. With his eyes closed, he could pretend that none of it had happened.

 It was a normal night, and he just happened to get home earlier than Koujaku. He would probably be out late with the Beni-Shigure guys, so there was no reason Noiz should not get some sleep. He could greet him properly tomorrow, after all.

 But no matter how hard he tried to convince himself, the image of Koujaku's swollen face and of the tubes sticking into his nose and arms respawned behind his eyes.

 Noiz squeezed his eyes shut tighter. This was not what he had expected for the night. If anything, he had expected that by now they would just be coming home after spending the night gambling at one of Platinum Jail's finest casinos. Koujaku would probably have tried some lame line or two in the spirit of first dates and old spy movies; Noiz would have laughed at him – or maybe he could have shown him up, shown him how it was really done. They would have walked home, Koujaku insisting that they at least hold hands. Or, more likely, the old man would have drunk a little too much, and he would have had his arm around Noiz's shoulder as they made their way up the stairs. They would have been kissing before the before they even got inside, and Noiz knew he would have complained about the terrible taste of sake on Koujaku's tongue. Koujaku would have teased him about his age in response. It would have been perfect, in its own way.

 It was the taste of salt on his tongue that made Noiz realise he was crying. It had been years since he could remember doing so, and for a moment he lay in silent shock. But he dashed his tears away angrily and reminded himself that there were better things to do than cry about this.

 He was still making lists of what he intended to do when he fell, emotionally exhausted, into a deep and blissfully dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

 Noiz was at the hospital again before visiting hours opened. The nurses watched him with a combination of sympathy and wariness until the clock finally hit ten, and then someone escorted him back to Koujaku's room. This time, he made sure to memories the path.

 The curtains were thrown open, wan morning sunlight streaming into the room. Everything else was as it had been the night before. Left alone by the nurse, Noiz approached the beside slowly, the sound of his shoes clicking on the linoleum floor drowned out by the incessant beeping of the monitors. Koujaku lay as still as he had been the night before, the only movement was his chest rising and falling which each assisted breath. His hair had been pushed up from his face again. Noiz swept it back to its usual style with gentle fingers. Looking down on his still, damaged face, the reality of the situation finally sunk in.

  _An induced coma…_

 Noiz kicked the wheel of the bed, his eyes still firmly fixed on Koujaku's face. But that did not so much as register as even a flicker of change on his unconscious expression.

   "Come on, old man." Noiz muttered. "This isn't you. You'll rarely stay in bed 'tli midday, even on te weekends."

 There was, of course, no reply.

 Noiz gritted his teeth. He had not signed up for this. They had finally gotten over their direst differences, and had finally reached a place of closeness that Noiz had never expected to reach with anyone. In a way, Koujaku should have been a safe choice; yes, he was involved in Ribstiez and that was lame as hell, but he was not particularly interested in drugs or violence. He was not a thrill-seeker. He certainly steered clear of the yakuza, and neither did he engage in any particularly criminal activities. So surely, _surely_ , it was reasonable not to have expected this.

 His vision blurred and Noiz realised he was on the verge of tears again. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath. Crying would not help anything, he reminded himself. Instead, he pulled a chair from the corner of the room closer to the bedside and sat down. Koujaku's hand was lying still on top of the blanket, the two middle fingers taped together to steady a fracture. Anchored in reality and without an audience, Noiz reached out and placed his hand on top of Koujaku's; it was surprisingly cool to touch. He knew he was not much good at judging things like temperature, but Koujaku's hands had always been warm before.

 At that moment, a nurse walked in. She started a little at the sight of Noiz sitting there, but quickly put on a professional smile.

    "Excuse me," She said. "I'm just checking on Koujaku-san's stats."

 Noiz turned his attention back to Koujaku's face, but watched the nurse out of his peripheral vision. She took the clipboard from the end of the bed and read over it. She checked the monitors and then jotted some notes down on the paper.

    "Are you a friend of Koujaku-san's?" The nurse asked.

    "We're seeing each other." Noiz said, his voice as even as ever.

    "Is that so?" The nurse asked, surprise on her face for an instant before her professional faced returned. "Well, in that case, is there anything I can help you with?"

    "How long will he be in a coma?"

    "It's hard to say for certain." The nurse said. "At least until the cranial swelling goes down. I could get a doctor for you, if you'd like? They would be able to answer questions about his condition much better than I can."

    "That's not necessary." Noiz said. He did not want to hear it. He already knew: it would take time, they could not be sure, to keep coming back. "Could you tell me about what happened?"

    "I wasn't on shift last night." The nurse said. "But what I can say for certain, from the notes on his chart, is that Koujaku-san was brought in unconscious last night a little before eight-thirty last night with severe injuries most likely resulting from an assault."

    "An assault." Noiz repeated.

    "Yes." The nurse said. She shook her head. "We've heard of increasing violence from within Platinum Jail since it has been opened, with all the tension between the citizens and the Ribstiez teams fighting over the new territory. Unfortunately, all we can do is provide treatment to the patients we get here

 Noiz turned his head back to look at Koujaku's face. An assault within Platinum Jail. It was supposed to be safer in there. But someone did this. It was not an accident and it was certainly not the injuries typical of Ribstiez fighting. Someone _did this_.

    "Who brought him in?" Noiz asked.

    "A passer-by called the ambulance." The nurse said apologetically. "I don't think they left any details."

    "I need to know more about what happened. Noiz said, rising to his feet. The chair grated across the floor as he did, and the nurse stepped back, her eyes fixed on Noiz's face.

    "A-ah, I just had a thought." The nurse said. "If you know of anyone who can pull data, you might be able to find some kind of information from Koujaku-san's Coil or AllMate. You would have to provide proper identification to the clerk, but if you did, I'm sure they would release his personal belongings to you."

  _Beni_. How could that obnoxious excuse for an AllMate have slipped his mind? There was no doubt there would be information stored in his caches about where and when exactly this had occurred. Perhaps he would have even recorded some audio or visual data that could prove useful.

 The nurse shifted and set Koujaku's chart back in its place. "If there is nothing else, I have to continue my rounds." She said. "But don't hesitate to call on someone if you need something."

    "Sure." Noiz said, more to acknowledge what she had said rather than indicate any desire to call her in the future. But she had been helpful, and he was grateful for that much at least.

 The nurse left the room, and Noiz was thankfully alone once again. He turned back to Koujaku and gripped his cold fingers. He would have to see to that later; perhaps ask for an extra blanket or something to put over his hands. It had slipped his mind just then. Since he could not bear to look at Koujaku's swollen and discoloured face, he stared at the scarred knuckled by his own fingers instead.

    "I'll find them." He promised aloud. He knew Koujaku could not hear him, and thus it was pointless, but he said it anyway. No matter who they were  - a rival Ribstiez gang or angry citizens of Platinum Jail – he would find them and make them regret every single second they had laid hands on Koujaku.

 Noiz replaced Koujaku's hand on the bedside, smoothing his fingers straight with his own. He headed out from the room. The signs in the hospital led him to where the clerk for the Intensive Care Unit was houses and he wanted at the desk until someone appeared.

 Getting them to release Koujaku's belongings to him was easier than Noiz expected. The harried cler was a customer of his, and she recognised Noiz from the few times he had visited the salon. Noiz signed the forms she requested and verified his identity on record through his Coil. In about fifteen minutes, she saw him out with the plastic wrapped bundle of Koujaku's personal effects in his hands.

 Noiz thought about returning to Koujaku's bedside to go through the contents of the bundle, but he caught sight of a flash of blue entering Koujaku's room and thought better of it. He needed quiet to work, and Aoba was fond of talking. He tucked the bundle under his arm instead, and headed to his usual hangout; Ruff Rabbit's headquarters.

# ***

More of a warehouse filled with computers than an actual headquarters, Ruff Rabbit's home base was clean and brightly lit. Frequently vacuumed to prevent dust from accumulating within the crucial computer systems, it smelt of nothing so much as air-conditioning. Everything was neatly divided according to function; the rows of computers for information gathering and distribution were kept separate from the AllMate workstations, where members would customise their robotic companions for Rhyme. Since Usui's disappearance, the team had lost quite a few members, but those who desired to participate in no-holds-barred virtual battles in the form of voluntary Drive-Bys were still active in the headquarters.

 When Noiz showed up, he was welcomed with a few cursory waves and greetings. He went straight upstairs a few floors were the small apartments were located, and went into his. Barely more than a bedsitter, the tiny room was cold and clean and resembled nothing more than a display home. Noiz had never been attached to it, and he had honestly preferred it that way. As long as it was clean enough not to get dust in his valuable tech and close enough to hear any alerts regarding upcoming Rhyme battles, he really did not care much about where he stayed.

 He sat down on the bed and began to sort through everything. There was not much in there – for the most part, just the broken remnants of Koujaku's kanzashi, a tie pin, and an oddly high number of tiny metal parts. Noiz assumed from this that Koujaku had been cut out his clothes upon admittance to the hospital, and those would have been discarded with the bio-hazardous waste. His Coil was nowhere to be seen. Noiz double checked the packaging, more metal parts falling out onto his lap as he did, but Koujaku's Coil was gone. Disappointed but unsurprised, Noiz continued – there was still the problem of the metal bits.

 As he counted numerous pieces, Noiz felt his heart sinking. He pulled the last heavy weight from the packaging and confirmed his suspicions; Beni had been all but destroyed. It looked as though he had been crushed, the once bright feathers muddied and torn. One wing had been ripped right off, and was nowhere to be seen. The metal pieces were all that was left of his internal systems.

 Noiz stared at the pieces in his hands. Part of him was already figuring out the best way to go about repairs – since Beni was an older model, he could get the custom replacement parts he needed from Heibon. But the larger, more sensible part of him knew that it was mostly wishful thinking. Beni's body would be impossible to fix.

 The alternative was to do a complete rebuild. Noiz was confident that he could at least rebuild his body from scratch.  It would not be identical, but he could get it close.

 Of course, none of this would matter if Beni's data chip had been destroyed. He could not access without his tools; the crushed metal refused to budge under his worrying fingers. Gathering all the pieces together, he headed back downstairs.

 Noiz made his way to his preferred desk at the AllMate workstation. The workstation itself was no different from the others, but this one provided the best view of the Rhyme information screens. He turned on the overhead lights ate station, and settled himself into the hard seat. He set Beni and all the metal pieces down on the desk and began to separate everything into neat piles.

 He did not notice time passing. Once he had separated everything, he had set about prying the crushed metal from Beni's frame to gain access to his internal systems. Once, he had cut his fingertips on a jagged edge, but he had simply wiped the blood from his tools and continued. When he had finally dragged Beni's chip free from the wreckage of his body, he had sat back with a pale thrill of satisfaction.

 At that point, one of his teammates approached his workstation.

    "How's it going?" The green-haired guy asked easily. He sipped from his can of soft drink and peered over Noiz's shoulder. "Are you scrapping that AllMate for parts?"

   "I'm getting its data chip." Noiz said, glancing up for barely a second before returning his full attention to the work at hand.

   "Why? Has it got important information on it?"

   "Possibly." Noiz said.

   "What kind of information?" The guy asked.

   "Does it matter?" Noiz asked.

   "Not really." The guy said. "Let me know if you want a hand putting it into the data banks though. The sooner you are done, the sooner I get my rematch, right? I'll beat you one of these days."

 Noiz made a noncommittal sound and his teammate drifted away. He did not mind most of his teammates, but this was not Beni-Shigure and aside from Rhyme matches and passing information, most of the members kept to themselves.

 Returning to the task at hand, Noiz surveyed the pile of twisted metal in front of him. He pushed it aside and put the data chip on the now clear desk. It was a standard make and model, and looked outwardly undamaged. He pulled one of his rabbit cubes from his belt and pressed a hidden button. The square face at the bottom popped off and revealed a narrow input. Noiz plugged Beni's data chip into the cube. He did not know if Beni had been outfitted with the settings required to sustain an online mode in Rhyme, but it was much easier to access most of the data from the virtual world.

 Noiz launched a Rhyme battlefield. Familiar with the time it took to establish his private field, he was able to wait those few seconds patiently. The field slowly built around him. Usagimodoki appeared in their rabbit forms, lined in formation with the leading rabbit at the head. After a moment, another figure slowly materialised.

 Dressed in a red jinbei with finely printed yellow flowers across the bottom of the sleeves and the shirt, Beni was younger in appearance than Noiz had expected. With a heart-shaped face that regarded the Rhyme field with alarm under a mop of crimson red hair, he did not appear any older than sixteen.

    "Yo." Noiz said, lifting a hand in a lazy wave.

 Beni started and turned  to face him, the recognition that passed over his features quickly turning into withering look.

    "Ah, this is your doin' then!" Beni said, glaring. "This is Rhyme, isn't it?"

    "Yeah." Noiz said. "You've never been here before, have you?"

    "We prefer real fighting." Beni sniffed. "All this cyber in-your-mind stuff is pretty bullshit, right, boss?"

 Beni looked around as though expecting Koujaku to be standing beside him. Uncertainty flickered through his youthful face; it was uncanny, really. "...Boss?"

    "He's not here." Noiz said. "I'm running a test with you. Stay there."

    "Ehhh!? What kind of test?" Beni asked. He stepped back and glared at Noiz, yellow eyes narrowed. "I'm warning you, you don't wanna mess with me!"

    "It won't hurt you or anything, so shut up and stay still." Noiz said. Another time, he might have been amused that Beni thought himself able to go head-to-head with Noiz in a Rhyme field, but as it was, he was too preoccupied to even consider that absurdity. He brought up his Rhyme interface and set the necessary, extra parameters. He glanced down at the lead rabbit and said, "Initiate complete scan of external device input."

    "Roger! Running external chip scan! External chip scan!" Usagimodoki chimed. A progress bar appeared on Noiz's interface. "General systems, all clear. Defence, all clear. Offensive capabilities… definitely!"

    "Oi, you better not be looking down on me, bastards!" Beni scowled.

    "Basic commands, online. Memory database… intact. Tracking data cache, intact. Systems… showing latest online update available for the chip model." Usagimodoki continued, ignoring the interruption. "Errors…none. AllMate Beni is showing no signs of abnormalities."

    "What a relief." Noiz muttered.

    "What's goin' on?" Beni asked. "Why are we in Rhyme? You know the boss ain't partial to it."

    "I know." Noiz said. "Your AllMate body was destroyed. I was checking to see whether your data chip had suffered any damage, but so far it seems fine."

    "What do you mean, destroyed!?" Beni said, and Noiz could almost see his feathers ruffling as they always did. After a moment, Beni's glare slowly faded. "Oh, right…"

    "AllMate Beni is running a memory database scan!" Usagimodoki chimed.

    "Well?" Noiz said, attention fixed on the avatar standing before him. "You know what happened, right? Tell me everything."

    "Boss said they were yakuza, but I don't know how he knew." Beni said, eyes distant. "I was going to fly away and get help, but…"

    "It's fine." Noiz said. "Did you record any audio or visual data?"

    "I'll check."

    "AllMate Beni is running a memory database scan for audio and video files!" Usagimodoki chimed.

    "Uh, it doesn't look like I've got much here." Beni said. His shoulders sagged. "I don't usually record this kind of stuff, but I have a little bit."

    "Show it to me."

    "Tell me where Koujaku is first." Beni said.

    "Just play me the files."

    "Not until you tell me!"

    "He's in hospital." Noiz said, voice flat. Beni's mouth dropped open, but Noiz did not give him a chance to speak. "Any information you give me I'll use to track down the people who did this and make them pay."

 Beni's eyes lit up. " Maybe there is hope for you yet, Rhyme-bastard!" He said brightly, and then blinked. "Oh, I'm not supposed to call you that. Well, whatever. With this attitude, you might be better cut out for Rib after all!"

    "Just play the files." Noiz said, holding back a sigh.

    " 'Roger', right?" Beni said, grinning.

 

# ***

 

 The information stored in Beni's drives proved more useful than anticipated – it provided Noiz with faces. From there, running the cleaned-up images through Ruff Rabbit's databases took days, but Noiz was not worried. Ruff Rabbit had eyes everywhere, and there was no one on the island they could not find with a bit of effort.

 While he waited, Noiz began the process of rebuilding Beni's body. Continuing the good news he had gotten over the past few days, another teammate had logged an empty AllMate of the same model into the scrap pile. Claiming it for reconstruction, Noiz set to work.

 Firstly, he scrapped the parts that were damaged and old. He removed the feathers; dark green, these ones, and though they were tedious to remove one by one, he continued until the model lay bare, showing its rubber skin that protected the inner frame.

 He sent an order to Heibon as soon as he was aware of what internal parts he needed to complete the job, with the external features – the new feathers, the beads and geta – coming from his team's trusted supplier. He updated and reconfigured the entire system to make it faster and more efficient, though he knew Koujaku would probably not realise what the new system was capable of.

Driven from sleep by the constant appearance of Koujaku's face in his dreams, the week wore on. He could bring himself to visit the hospital; nothing would have changed and he had yet to fulfil his promise. Some nights when he needed a break from the painstaking and minute work, Noiz would leave the headquarters and track down the people listed as being of interest to his case. The discussions with those people rarely involved much besides fists and elbows, but the gratification of crossing another name of his list kept him going. He spared no heed for the bruises around his eyes or the scratches on his face.

 He would find them.

 His Coil beeped from time to time, but Noiz ignored it. For the most part, he focused on rebuilding Beni, piece by piece, until finally the annoying little bird was full reassembled. Noiz gazed at the AllMate critically. The supplier had only been able to a slightly darker yellow for the breast feathers than the cream he had been outfitted with before, but regardless, it was very close. Noiz inserted the data chip and restarted the AllMate.

    "Eh, so this is my new body?" Beni asked, hopping across the table. He took flight and landed atop Noiz's hat. Noiz grabbed him and set him back down on the table, but Beni only ruffled his wings and tilted his head. "Not bad. Better than just bein' virtual, I'll say!"

    "So it's alright?" Noiz asked.

    "Yeah." Beni said.

    "Good." Noiz said. "Go into sleep mode, I'll let you know when I need you next."

    "Roger." Beni said brightly before he followed Noiz's order.

 Noiz sat back in his chair. He pulled up his Coil screen and skimmed through his notifications. There were messages and missed calls from Aoba, but he could deal with those later. More importantly, there was a message marked high priority from a teammate.

 The slow tide of anger he had felt since leaving the hospital that first morning grew to a deafening flood as he read the contents. Each picture he had supplied had been given a name and affiliation. Beni had been right; they _were_ yakuza.

 For now.

 Noiz took his steel knuckles from the drawer in his bedroom and headed out. It was getting dark now, but that was better. Platinum Jail was not far away. He disappeared into the crowd like a shadow among the bright lights of Aoyagi Street and did not reappear until he reached what had been pinpointed as the gang's usual hang out.

 Noiz leaned against the wall, just inside the mouth of the alleyway. It was close to the restaurant where Koujaku had made their reservation, he noted, but pushed the thought quickly aside. He focused, instead, on the opposite building, and the door deep in the alleyway that led inside.

    "Is this it?" Beni asked, perched on Noiz's shoulder.

    "Yes. Now be quiet."

 Hacking into the servers in Platinum Jail was harder than getting access to the ones in the Old Resident District, but the payoff was far greater. Having more tech and more surveillance, there was much more information that could be quickly accessed with the white walls. A few minutes of checking and he was certain that the men he was after were all inside building.

  _Perfect_.

 A few clicks on his Coil set his plan into motion. The Rhyme field blossomed outwards, slowly consuming the alleyway and expending to the building, capturing everyone within. The walls dissolved into translucent blocks and then faded away into darkness.

 This was not a battlefield. No arena appeared within which the men now forced into the virtual world could fight. Devoid of features, the field showed nothing but absolute darkness. The yakuza milled around in confusion. Some yelled in anger, others in confusions and still others in fear.

 Noiz felt a sick satisfaction growing his chest at the sound of them. He waited for a moment, flanked on either side by a formation of well-trained rabbits and one very angry bird. When the inevitable commands to attack were given, the men in the field did not stand a chance. Some of the men cried out in pain as the first attack landed.

 Set after offensive set crashed through the darkness, each time initiated by two curly spoken words. But even if the men trapped within the field could hear the voice and know the attack that would follow, there was no way they could fight against an unseeable and unstoppable enemy. The attacks continued relentlessly until all sound had been crushed to silence, and everyone lay still.

 Noiz terminated the field and collapsed to his knees, exhausted. Beni crowed with delight, taking flight from Noiz's shoulder to fly dancing swoops over his head.

    "We destroyed them!" Beni cried. "We completely destroyed them! They'll regret taking us on for sure!"

    "Yeah." Noiz said.

    "You know, maybe Rhyme ain't so bad after all." Beni said, coming to land on Noiz's shoulder once more. "It sure is satisfying."

 When Noiz did not reply, Beni flapped down to his knee. He looked up at the drained face above him, tilting his head to the side.

    "What now then?"

  _What, indeed_. There was only one thing Noiz wanted to do now.


	3. Chapter 3

Noiz walked slowly back to the Old Resident District. His eyes felt heavy, but he did not want to go home. There was no point; it would be cold and dark and lonely, the last in particular Noiz could not stand. Since leaving the alleyway the fury that had been sustaining him had finally burnt out of his limbs. He felt like he could fall asleep where he was standing, but even so, he did not want to be anywhere other than Koujaku's bedside.

 The walk to the hospital took longer than he remembered, but finally, he was walking through the sterile white walls along a path he had memories that first morning and had not repeated since.

 He reached Koujaku's room, and was too tired to be surprised at the weight that settled into his chest upon realising that Aoba was there, sitting at Koujaku's bedside.

    "Noiz! What happened!?" Aoba cried, pushing up from the chair the moment he saw him.

    "Nothing."

    "You've been missing all this time and now this!? What were you doing?"

    "I found them." Noiz said.

    "What?"

    "The men responsible." Noiz said. "I found them."

    "…Noiz, what did you do?" Aoba asked, voice falling.

 Noiz looked down and said nothing.

    "You know Koujaku wouldn't want that." Aoba said.

    "We don't always get what we want." Noiz said, eyes snapping up to lock Aoba's gaze.

 Aoba stared at him for a moment. "No, I suppose we don't." He agreed. "At least let me take a look at those scratches. You'll give Koujaku a heart attack if he sees you like that."

 Noiz wanted to protest that Koujaku had seen much worse, but it was pointless. Aoba would insist anyway and he was too tired to sustain a drawn out argument.

    "Fine." Noiz said.

 That was all he said. He sat silently in the chair Aoba vacated as the blue-haired man cleaned the cuts on his face and hands, much more hesitantly, he noticed, than Koujaku would have. But he hardly cared, as long as he could look over Aoba's shoulder to the monitors beyond. Everything seemed fine; Koujaku's heart rate and respiration were within the normal range. Most of the tubes had been removed, he noticed, and decided that was a good sign.

    "Is that Beni on your shoulder?" Aoba asked, eyes widening. "I didn't notice him! Hey, Beni."

 Beni ruffled his feathers indignantly, but did not speak.

    "Eh? He doesn't want to talk? That's got to be a first."

    "I put him in silent mode." Noiz said.

    "You'll have to teach me how to do that." Aoba said, smiling sheepishly.

 Beni huffed silently, and took off from Noiz's shoulder. He landed on the pillow, beside Koujaku's head, and settled down in sleep mode. Aoba followed his movements with his head, his hand holding the band-aids paused hovering over Noiz's fingers.

    "He stirred briefly, you know." Aoba said as he returned to work, his voice lighter than the fingers that pressed the band-aid to Noiz's cheek. As Noiz drew a quick breath, he continued, "He didn't speak or anything. But the doctor's said that it was a good sign."

    "When?"

    "A few hours ago." Aoba said. "He'll slowly wake up, since they've stopped giving him the medication to keep him in the coma. He should come around in the next day or two."

 Noiz sighed softly in relief. _That was good._

    "But Noiz, while I have you here…" Aoba said. "Are you okay? You look terrible, like you haven't been sleeping. I was worried since I haven't seen you here –"

    "I was busy." Noiz said. He looked away from Aoba's concerned brown eyes, focusing instead on the ridged creases of the hospital blankets.

    "Looking for the people responsible?" Aoba asked, and when Noiz did not reply, he continued, "Well, you've dealt with them now. Visiting hours are almost over, so you should go home and get some rest. You can come back tomorrow when you have more colour in your face."

    "Noiz."

    " _I'm staying_."

    "Fine." Aoba said. "But that nurse who comes around at the end of visiting hours is a dragon, so be careful. She'll throw you out by the scruff of your neck if she catches you here even five minutes after the time is up."

    "I'll keep that in mind." Noiz said.

    "Alright, well, you are all patched up now." Aoba said, straightening. He stretched a little. "Phew, I've been sitting too long. I'm going to go home now then, but call me if you need to, you hear?"

    "Yeah."

    "Good night, then."

 Aoba left immediately after that. He was a considerate person; he must have easily read Noiz's exhaustion and desire to be alone and had acted in the manner best of him. Even if he refused to play Rhyme again, even once, Aoba was still a pretty good guy.

 After a while, Noiz brought himself to look up at Koujaku's face. The swelling had disappeared, but the bruising had gotten darker as it healed. Noiz could not fathom it; he had seen much worse on himself and not even batted an eye, but looking at Koujaku's beaten and unconscious face made it hard to breathe.

 Noiz took Koujaku's hand in his. It was still cold. Noiz rubbed it gently, and after a few moments, was glad to feel it warm faintly against his own deadened skin. The repetitive motions dragged his heavy eyes down, and he leant forward to rest his head on the bed just near Koujaku's elbow, his grip still tight on his hand.

 When the dragon of a nurse looked in some few minutes later, she found them both asleep. Despite her reputation, she did not have the heart to wake the young man who had fallen asleep in such an impossibly uncomfortable position, and decided instead that she could chase him out the moment he woke up. It would not hurt to let him stay a while.

# ***

 

Koujaku slowly opened his eyes. It was bright; the sunlight through the window and the harsh fluorescent lights overhead stabbing into his eyes. He grimaced and closed his eyes again. He tried to move but his body was sluggish and unresponsive. _Was he hung over?_ Slowly opening his eyes again, he looked around the room.

 It was a hospital room. That was as far as he got before he saw that Noiz was slumped over on his bed, resting his head in his arms. Koujaku could feel tingling in his fingers and toes, but more importantly, he could feel Noiz's fingers entwined with his. Shifting a little to ease an ache settling in his knees caused Noiz to stir, and Koujaku cursed inwardly.

 Noiz lifted his head and their eyes met.

    "Koujaku…?" Noiz asked, eyes widening.

 Koujaku attempted to speak in reply, but it came out more like a garbled croak than anything else. He coughed to clear his throat a little and tried again. "Good morning."

 Noiz gripped his hand tighter, and brought their entwined hands to his lips. "Gott sei Dank…" He whispered fervently.

    "Don't cry!" Koujaku said, panicked, and while his voice was still hoarse, it at least sounded like actual words that time.

    "I'm not!" Noiz said, meeting Koujaku's gaze with a glare. "It's just… my chest feels tight and it's hard to breathe. That's all."

    "Ah, so you're happy." Koujaku said. "Thank God."

    "This isn't what happiness feels like." Noiz said.

    "It is when you are _really_ happy." Koujaku said, smiling. "Well? Are you going to tell me what great event we survived?"

    "We?" Noiz asked.

    "Your face." Koujaku said.

    "It's nothing." Noiz said. "More importantly, don't you remember?"

 Koujaku tried to shake his head, but was unable. He brought his free hand up to his neck, alarmed to feel hard plastic under his fingers.

    "I'll get the doctor." Noiz said, getting to his feet. He passed him the remote. "If you need to adjust the bed, use this."

    "Wait –" Koujaku began, but Noiz was out the door before he could finish. With a sigh, Koujaku brought the remote over his head so he could see the buttons. A few minutes and loud buzzes of metal later, he had adjusted the bed into a better sitting position. It was still difficult to see since he could not move his head around, but it was better than reclining as he had been. But the mere act of holding the remote above his face proved tiring and he set it down at his side wearily.

 At that moment, the doctor walked in, Noiz following on her heels. Noiz leant against the back wall, careful to stay within Koujaku's field of vision. The doctor walked up to his beside.

    "Ah, Koujaku-san, you are awake!" The doctor said, her pleasant voice carefully moderated. "What a relief. How are you feeling?"

    "A little uncomfortable." Koujaku admitted. "And thirsty."

 The doctor smiled. "Well, those are all good signs. Please bear with it for a moment." She said. "Do you know where you are?"

    "Midorijima General Hospital?" Koujaku guessed.

    "That's right." The doctor said. "As you've no doubt gathered, you were seriously injured. You have been in an induced coma for the last week. Do you remember what happened prior to waking up here?"

    "I was getting ready for a date." Koujaku said, meeting Noiz's eyes across the room. _A coma?_ Noiz looked down, crossing his arms.

    "Is that all you can remember?" The doctor asked.

    "I think I was in Platinum Jail." Koujaku said, wracking his brain. The last thing he remembered, he had been walking into Platinum Jail. The details were a little hazy, but he remembered wearing the suit. That was all… "I can't remember anything else."

    "That's alright." The doctor said. "It's common to not remember everything after severe head injuries such as the ones you have sustained, so don't push yourself in trying to remember any details. For now, I will explain what happened as far as we know, and the injuries you have. Is that alright?"

    "Yes."

    "If you have any questions, please tell me. I will clarify everything I can."

 The debrief with the doctor lasted only an hour, but by the end of it, Koujaku was thoroughly exhausted. A fractured skull and collarbone; well, that explained the fuzziness in his head. Aside from a few other fractures such as in his fingers, and the dislocated shoulder, most of the damage was just bruising. He would have to do rehabilitation, but they would give more details on exactly what that would entail after he had been awake for a few days. The doctor removed the neck brace at least, after checking to ensure he had not sustained any nerve damage. After she had gone, Noiz returned to the seat from his place at the wall. He poured a small glass of water from the jug by the bedside and passed it over.

    "Feeling okay?" Noiz asked, watching as Koujaku gently ran his fingers over his now cool neck, rubbing in circles to relieve some of the itching discomfort.

    "A bit tired." Koujaku said. He drank the water slowly, hands shaking a little, and set the cup down when he down.

    "Rest then." Noiz said. "I'll be here when you wake up."

    "I don't want to sleep." Koujaku said, his voice heavy and his expression unreadable. "I've slept enough, don't you think?"

    "Well… there is something else we could do." Noiz said, standing up. He put his hands on the blankets just shy of Koujaku's thigh and glanced up at him. He could not explain the change he felt in himself.  Just moments ago he had been content to watch over the other man as he slept but now… all he knew was that he wanted to touch Koujaku, to feel him, to see his face and hear his voice and reassure himself that this was not some dream.

    "Seriously?" Koujaku asked, staring at him. "This isn't exactly private, you know. Someone could come in."

    "The doctor just left." Noiz said, hands sliding up over Koujaku's thighs to tug down the blankets. "And the rounds aren't for a while."

    "Noiz –"

    "I can lock the door." He said, voice dropping low. His hands moved over the thin material at Koujaku's stomach before suggestively running over his inner thigh.

     "Oi, Noiz, cut it out." Koujaku said, pushing Noiz's hands away. 

     "Just let me." Noiz said, desperation in his voice. 

     "Why?"

     "I want to touch you." Noiz said. "Isn't that enough?"

     "Can't I just hold you then?" Koujaku asked. He winced a little as he tried to shift his postion. "It's just that I don't know if I can... with this medication, I mean..."

 Noiz stared at him for a minute, comprehension dawning in his eyes. Then he dropped his head, a small smile spreading across his face. 

     "Are you sure it's not old age?" He asked.

     "Get over here, brat." Koujaku said, scowling a little. 

 But Noiz did as he was asked, getting properly on to the bed and stretching himself out next to Koujaku. He kicked off his shoes, and they dropped to the floor each with a heavy thump, but Noiz paid them no mind. Instead, he settled himself into the space Koujaku had managed to give up. The hospital bed was much narrower than the one they shared at Koujaku's place, so by necessity, they were pressed close together. When Noiz hesitated to lean his weight even slightly against the other man, Koujaku wrapped his arms around Noiz and pulled him even closer so that it no longer mattered. Noiz rested his head on Koujaku's chest. 

    "Better?"

    "A little." Koujaku said. But it wasn't. Noiz head it in the tone of his voice and when he looked up at his face, he could read the uneasiness there. He was silent for a few moments but when he saw that the expression did not change, he propped himself up on his elbow.

    "What is it?"

    "It's just…" Koujaku shook his head and started again. "I think the medication is a little stronger than I thought. I feel numb all over." As he spoke, he entwined his fingers with Noiz's free hand, squeezing tightly. Noiz watched him, gaze darting from his hand back up to his face. Koujaku, however, kept his gaze fixed on their hands, and added in a barely audible voice, "I can barely feel this at all…"

 Idea in mind, Noiz sat up quickly. Alarmed by the straining creak of the bed, Koujaku was momentarily distracted enough for Noiz to press his lips to Koujaku's surprised, parted ones. He ran a hand through Koujaku's dark hair, using that grip to gently tilt his head back. It didn't smell like it usually did; without the products or special conditioners, it barely carried a scent at all. Taking full advantage of the situation, he pushed his tongue into Koujaku's mouth, probing gently until he had stirred Koujaku to react. Koujaku's hand came up to grip Noiz's collar, pulling him closer when he tried to breathe. The wet sounds of their lips were mostly drowned by the general bustle of the hospital ward outside of the door.

 Satisfied, Noiz bit down on Koujaku's lip. Immediately pulling back, Koujaku raised a hand to face in disbelief.

    "What was that about?"

    "So you can feel it." Noiz said, tilting his head a little. He brushed his fingers through Koujaku's hair again, hand coming down to cup his cheek. "Don't worry. You'll get it all back."

    "I think understand better why you do some of things you do, I think." Koujaku said, red eyes unreadable. "I get why it would bother you, not being able to feel anything."

    "You don't do so bad a job at making up for it, though." Noiz said.

    "Well that's a relief at least." Koujaku said. He shifted a little. "And, that."

    "What?"

    "The way you touched my hair just now." Koujaku said. "When did you start doing that?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "It feels nice, almost… familiar."

    "You felt it?" Noiz asked, brows rising. "When you were unconscious?"

    "Was that it?" Koujaku said. "I mean, I know I could hear stuff sometimes."

    "Such as?"

    "Mostly Aoba talking, I think. Some of my team members too."

    "I didn't know."

 Koujaku tilted his head to the side. "Didn't know? That coma patients can sometimes hear and feel things when they are out? I thought everyone knew that."

    "I didn't." Noiz said.

    "So you didn't try speaking to me?" Koujaku asked.

 Noiz shook his head.

    "Really?" Koujaku looked dumbfounded.

    "Didn't seem like there would be a point if you couldn't hear it." Noiz said, looking away.

    "Then tell me now." Koujaku said, looking up at Noiz with a grin. "What would you have said to me, if you thought there was a chance I could hear it?"

    "What's the point of saying it now?"

    "I want to know."

 Seeing that familiar, expectant expression, Noiz surrendered. Koujaku deserved to hear it, anyway. Only last night he would have said anything he had to in order to wake up in this morning.

    "…fine." Noiz said. He leaned in again, bringing his arms around Koujaku's neck with surprising gentleness. "I would have said _wach auf_."

    "You know I can't understand it when you-" Koujaku began, but was silenced as Noiz pressed his lips to Koujaku's.

    " _Bitte wach auf, Koujaku_." Noiz said, and kissed him again. He did not stop the kiss as he brushed his fingers through the short ends of Koujaku's hair near his nape, before gently undoing the braid of his hair.

    "Hey–" Koujaku gasped.

    " _Bitte wach auf. Ich vermisse dich_." Noiz kissed down Koujaku's neck with each word. Koujaku sighed breathily in response, enticing Noiz to continue despite his doubts. He made sure to be gentle, even as he licked and sucked at all the familiar sensitive places.

    " _Ohne dich kann ich nicht leben. Bitte… bitte wach auf_." Noiz's hands fell to the ties of Koujaku's hospital gown and paused. But the other man did not stop him, so he pulled the ties free from their knots and slipped his hands inside the thin fabric.

    "…Noiz."

 At the sound of his name, Noiz sat up. The look in Koujaku's eyes took his breath away; the darkness of desire was familiar, but the tender helplessness was something else entirely. His eyes fell closed as Koujaku slowly closed the distance between them. He could feel the warmth of Koujaku's hand cupping his cheek before he felt the warmth of his lips.

 The kiss deepened slowly. Noiz parted his lips first, allowing Koujaku's tongue to trace over the inside of his mouth before rubbing against his own tongue. Part of him wanted more, to tug at Koujaku's hair and kiss him like he used to in the beginning but he realised quickly that what he needed more than that was this tender reassurance – the even give and take of their tongues and their lips, the strong hands on his cheek and neck. He was surrounded by the softness of Koujaku's natural scent. Noiz could no longer hear the beeping of the machines or the hospital beyond the door over the sound of his own heartbeat.

 Panting a little, Koujaku pulled back just enough to breathe. Their foreheads bumped together, but neither moved.

    " _Stirb nicht vor mir_." Noiz whispered shakily, eyes still closed.

    "I still don't know what you are saying." Koujaku said softly, smiling.

    "It's fine."

    "On another, ah, more pressing note," Koujaku said, biting his lip. His face was flushed, the most colour in his cheeks Noiz had seen since he had been in hospital. "I don't think the medicine is as strong as I thought it was."

    "What, are you hard, old man?"

    "A bit, yeah."

    "Want me to suck you off?" Noiz asked, smirking. "If you're still feeling numb, I could use my teeth."

 Koujaku smacked Noiz upside the head. "No thanks."

    "Then what do you want?"

    "Just you."

 Koujaku was never one to be subtle, and Noiz took his meaning instantly. He stared at him as though the breath had been slammed from his chest.  "Really?"

    "Yes."

 Noiz did not need to be told twice. Koujaku's hospital clothes were easily removed. His usually tanned skin had paled somewhat from the time he had spent in the hospital, and his ribs strained visibly under the taut skin of his chest. Noiz catalogued this, but was distracted from pursuing it further by Koujaku's hands pulling his head down into another kiss.

    "How do you want to do this?" Noiz asked, fishing a small bottle of lube from the pocket in pants.

    "Like this is fine." Koujaku said breathily. He took the bottle from Noiz's hand and squeezed some of the gel onto his fingers. The artificial scent of watermelon drifted up to his nose and he raised his brows.

    "Don't like watermelon?"  Noiz asked, eyes twinkling mischievously.

    "More surprised that _this_ is the stuff you keep on you."

    "It keeps things interesting."

 Koujaku rolled his eyes. He leant back, settling himself down against his pillows. He brought his fingers to his opening and smeared the gel over it before pressing one finger inside.

    "I could do that for you." Noiz said.

    "I've got it." Koujaku replied, his breath hitching as he pressed the second finger in. "It doesn't hurt anyway." He stretched and curled his fingers with practiced deftness, the scars across his knuckles disappearing into his body.

    "Fuck, you look hot like that." Noiz said, green eyes lidded now. He pressed in closer, bringing his lips to Koujaku's neck. He could taste the fine sweat as he kissed down the black lines of Koujaku's tattoos, mapping the unevenness with his tongue and teeth. His hand reached for Koujaku's half-hard length and gripped tightly, enjoying the sharp inhalation by his ears. He started stroking slowly.

 Within minutes, Koujaku was fully hard. Panting softly, he pulled his fingers from his ass.

    "Alright."

    "You sure?"

    "Hurry."

 With a breath of laughter, Noiz slipped out of his pants. He locked the door and then returned to his place between Koujaku's legs, and poured some of the watermelon-scented lube over his straining cock. Koujaku watched him with flushed cheeks. Satisfied with the slickness, he pressed in without hesitation.

 Koujaku swallowed his moans, releasing his breath as a low hiss between gritted teeth as he was filled inch by inch. But his lustrous red eyes stayed focused on Noiz's face, never breaking contact. Noiz saw the shivers prickle Koujaku's skin as his piercings pushed inside, watched with delight at the faint flush that crept up his neck to his ears.

    "Feeling okay?" Noiz asked when he was fully inside.

    "Just… don't want to be too loud." Koujaku said, glancing meaningfully towards the door.

 Noiz smirked and thrust in harder. Koujaku groaned, head falling back against the pillows.

    "That wasn't a challenge, idiot!"

 But Noiz barely heard him. He was so hot inside, clenching around him. Seeing him, hearing him, feeling the heat and pressure of his body… It was intoxicating. Noiz thrust in again, establishing his pace. Koujaku gripped the sheets. His dark hair was split across the pillows, shifting each time his body was rocked by Noiz's powerful thrusts. Noiz increased his pace, forcing Koujaku to cover his mouth with his hand to muffle the noises he could not help but spill into the otherwise quiet room.

    "More…" Koujaku whispered, his voice barely audible from behind his hand, lifting his hips. "I want to feel it."

 Koujaku tightened his legs around Noiz's hips. Noiz groaned at the sudden tightness, and pressed in harder. A spasm rocked Koujaku's body, his eyes squeezing closed. Delighted at that reaction, Noiz repeated his actions, drawing a low moan from Koujaku's lips.

 Noiz bent down, desperate to hear the sounds Koujaku was making. He rolled his hips with each thrust, adjusting his rhythm to reduce any unnecessary jolting. Koujaku reached up to run a hand through his hair, repeatedly murmuring Noiz's name through the soft moans he could no longer suppress. Noiz returned his hand to Koujaku's straining erection, already dripping with precome, roughly stroking it in time to his thrusts.

 Already bordering his climax, the added stimulation brought Koujaku over the edge. His back arched, toes tightening into the sheets as he pressed his teeth deep into the flesh his hand. Watching the pleasure contort Koujaku's features as his body went loose, Noiz pulled out. He squeezed his cock tightly, digging his nails into the tip. A few pumps like that, and he came too, spilling himself over Koujaku's thigh and stomach.

 Sitting back exhausted, Noiz took in the sight before him. Koujaku really was beautiful, but never more than when he was laying spent, hair messy and eyes glazed. The bruising on his face was mostly yellow now, mottling his otherwise smooth skin, but even that did not detract from his beauty in that moment. Noiz leaned down and gently kissed Koujaku's lips.

    "I'll clean you up." Noiz said. "Just relax."

 Koujaku did not argue, and within minutes, all traces of their activities had been cleaned away. Noiz unlocked the door, pulled his pants on again and climbed back onto the bed.

    "Better?" He asked, stretching himself out alongside the other man.

    "Much." Koujaku said, chuckling softly. He was silent for a few moments, absently playing with Noiz's head and then added softly, "And I'm sorry about our date. I didn't get a chance to say that before."

 Noiz pushed up on his elbow so he could look into Koujaku's face. "You haven't gotten out of it." He said. "We're still going to do it. As soon as you are discharged."

    "Are you sure?"

    "I never did get to see you in your suit, after all." Noiz said, settling back down against his chest.

    "True." Koujaku said.

    "And you didn't get to see what I was wearing under mine."

    "What do you mean by that?" Koujaku asked, eyes widening a little.

 Noiz kissed him on the mouth again and smirked. "Like I said, you'll find out next time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wach auf - Wake up  
> Bitte wach auf - Please wake up  
> Ich vermisse dich - I miss you  
> Ich vermisse Dich so sehr - I miss you so much  
> Ohne dich kann ich nicht leben - I can't live without you  
> Stirb nicht vor mir - Don't die before I do
> 
> Note: aside from the last (which is the title of a Rammstein song ^^;;), I mostly used Google to translate these, so they are possibly wrong.


End file.
